alo1984

IS. Yes, I said IS entertaining. That is one of the things that makes him so special. People want to see him play even if he's playing badly because you might get to see him turn it around. Yes, golf is his job. And physics was Albert Einsteins' job but would you say we owe nothing to him for his theory of relativity? He was just doing his job and therefore no credit is due for any subsequent advancements. I'm sure you believe that. C'mon.

EXACTLY! But even if it did Ol' Fred has a dreamy swing.

You said that once in one of my threads and I posted a video that I'm pretty sure took the wind right out of that sail...Fred easily has one of the top five most gorgeous swings on tour. In real time or slow motion. If not for Freddie's back problems he would have been an all time great and would have been number one over Faldo and Norman without a doubt. He is an absolute natural.

I don't undertand this...How can you honestly say a guy of his caliber has no chance to win any tournament. Let alone the British Open. The British is the one major that pretty much anybody can win. Take Louis Oosthuizen for example. His previous results at the British were as follows: CUT, DNP, CUT, DNP, DNP, CUT WIN. Now that doesn't exactly foreshadow someone about to win does it? I can't get behind you on this one, guy.

Love him or hate him the guy is entertaining. I (along with millions of others) want to watch tournaments to see how is is playing. I enjoy watching golf with or without Tiger, but I am admittedly more interested when he is playing. Those who bash him should give some consideration to where the game would be without him. He deserves a good deal of credit for the advancement of the game over the last 15 years. Do you think that the equipment strides would have happened so quickly or at all if Tiger hadn't been as dominant? I for one do not. Do you think that the game of golf in general would be as accessible if Tiger had not been such a dominant and popular figure? Again, I for one do not. Many of us who took up the game in the last 15 years owe a lot to Tiger. We owe some gratitude for the equipment that affords us the ability to hit the ball so far and straight to him. We also owe him some gratitude for the affordability of a round of golf and the plethora of golf publications available. I firmly believe that TIger helped usher in an era of technological advancement and accessibility that would not have otherwise have happened to the golf world. At least not as quickly as it has. That said, I do not believe that Tiger will regain the dominance he once displayed. I will not speculate on how many more tournaments or majors he will win except to say that I would not be surprised if he never wins again.

I watched the one with George Lopz and Oscar De Lahoya (sp?) The one thing I came away with is that George Lopez is a complete JERK. What an A-hole he was to Oscar. I hate playing with guys that cheer when others do poorly or who "coach" their opponents ball to trouble spots.

Seriously? And do you only wear long pants and let women play once a month at this club of yours?

A guy should be able to play both depending on condiitions and lie, etc. Personally, I use my 60* 80% of the time for a quick check shot or a soft flop and a little roll out. I just seem to be more comfortable with that shot and almost always get it up and down. The other 20% I may use a 54* or PW to get a lower trajectory and more roll out. It all depends on the conditions though.

You know there are too many people out there who just act like complete D Bags on the golf course and I imagine that translates to their everyday lives too. People, let the faster group through for heavens sake! Why does it matter if it's a single or a foursome? If they are clearly playing faster than you and there is an open hole ahead, then let them through! This takes minimal time and effort on your part, not to mention it is polite and just a stand up thing to do. I've seen too many pig headed, arrogant SOB's hold their place in front because of some sort of entitlement attitude or something it's just ridiculous. I've been embarrassed to be paired with guys like that on several occasions. The game becomes far too stressful when guys start jockeying for position. And ladies I haven't mentioned you yet, but you are usually the worst offenders. I don't know if it's due to ignorance or just indifference but chicks seem to be pretty bad about this too.

Okay, for me score is a small part of what makes a "good golfer". A "good golfer" is someone who can hit quality shots the majority of the time. No big slices or big hooks. Very few chunks, chili dippers, and skulls, etc. They can almost always have a reasonable chance at a par or better from the middle to back tees. They will not be the shortest hitter on the course but they don't have to be the longest either. In order to do any of those things one must have practiced a considerable amount as well as have at least some small amount of talent. A good score will come sometimes for a good golfer but so will a bad score. Tiger just shot a 75 for goodness sake so I think using an exact number to qualify a good golfer is a bit goofy. If you want to talk scores, anyone who can shoot 75 or better every round is a "great golfer". (Unless we're talking about professionals and then a 75 every round will get them unemployment)

HA HA RIGHT!

I'm 26. Started playing at 8.

Yes and no. A course in terrible condition can absolutely affect your game. If the fairways aren't mowed or the greens are trash then that will obviously affect your ability to score well. Here's the kicker: if you stink anyways, the course conditions are going to have little affect. A poor player is going to see a higher score on a well maintained, quality designed course. BUt that same poor player will likely score lower at a run down local muni course because the conditions will be slower and easier than the nicer course.

It sounds to me like it's a no brainer if you are sure you can walk the course regularly for the next two seasons. You don't play with your friends that often now as it is so that shouldn't factor too heavily into your decision making process. Who knows, maybe some of them will hear about the deal and decide to join along with you. I don't think you'll regret committing to play at a nice track though.

I got a good laugh reading this thread. I was glad to see the Penguin do well at The Northern.

The fact that you are a long hitter and have to wait on par 4's and 5's is not going to gain you any sympathy from most folks. Just be certain that you aren't going to endanger any lives in the group ahead. The courtesy associated with golf can sometimes be forgotten about but it is really important...

What a ridiculous comment! The guy that posted that probably wears jean shorts and t-shirts when he plays! Ricky looks modern and edgy - something there should be more of in golf fashion/style. He also looks like he puts a good deal of thought into his appearance which I think is mostly a good thing. My wife often says that Ricky looks like a big traffic cone but you have to give it to him, he looks like he is having a lot of fun. This John L Grant character is just what the game DOESNT need.

I am actually playing today. One week ago today we experienced record lows here in Tulsa of -15 degrees and 18 inches of snowfall. Today the high is going to be 74! The snow is melted and I'm ready to go!

Why does being short make a difference on how much "whip" you can generate? The whip comes from swing speed. Of course, swing speed usually increases the taller a player is but that is not an absolute. I'm a short guy at 5'5" but I'm young, flexible, and relatively strong so I swing as fast or faster than the taller players that I play with. Whether you are short or tall you need to work on your strength, flexibility, mechanics, and get a good fitting.

95% of the time at least. GUR or conditions that warrant LCP are the only times I don't. I think a good question would also be how many people putt all the way out?

I've been away form The Sand Trap since sometime in October (been busy buying a new house and with holiday travel, etc) but I'm thrilled to be back! It's starting to warm up here in Oklahoma and I'm gearing up for a good season. I ended 2010 with my game in good shape and having met my goal to shoot a 75. This year I've set my sights on par or 72 whichever comes first. I've played a couple of times already this year and the swing feels good. Playing tomorrow so we'll see what happens.

You being serious?

I can tell you what I would do now, and what I DID do as a teenager. Now: I would give the WTF arms too. Then I would pick up the ball and look back at him, and then hurl the ball as hard and far as I possibly could away from the green. There is no excuse for hitting onto a green from that distance. None whatsoever. People that do that weren't spanked enough as children. When I was a teenager: Had a guy hit into my twosome from no more than 145 yds out. Dude was in the center of the fairway looking right at us as we putted out. No hazards between him and the green so he clearly wasn't laying up. The ball stopped about 6 feet from me so I walked to my bag and grabbed my 7 iron, moved the ball to the fringe and took dead aim at the guy. I hit a pure shot and literally bounced it off the top of his cart. Now, I would never do that again. I was too immature and hot headed to consider the fact that I could have hurt the guy at that point. I look back on that with regret that I reacted the way I did, but I am fairly certain that guy never hit into anyone again...

I also use a ten finger grip. I do also use a 50 year old ping anser putter. Strangest part of my game though would be that I refuse to play out of turn...I always hit badly if I play out of turn, so long ago I decided that I would never intentionally play out of turn again. It doesn't bother me if someone takes my turn, but it does bother me if I'm the one that played out of turn first. Weird, I know. I swear it just gets in my head and I always hit a bad shot.

I've been working on a few things, but mainly trying to get more lateral movement towards the target on the downswing. I feel like it has been helping my impact and ball striking consistency. I know that I have a long backswing, and to be honest I've really kind of given up trying to shorten it. It's been that way for so long it seems like a losing battle to fight it. Feel free to comment. Taken with an iphone so I know that quality is not great.